Posts in the month of: Feb, 2010
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Every year, a couple hundred thousand people gather in midtown Kansas City for one of the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade celebrations. Each year the International House of Prayer mingles in this sea of people, spreading the truth of the gospel and the love of Christ. The goal is to engage thousands through focused evangelism strategies such as tract distribution, gospel surveys, street preaching, and prophetic evangelism.
This year the parade begins on Wednesday, March 17 at 11:00am. About 1,000 people from IHOP–KC will participate in the parade from 7:00am until the parade ends. Teams led by the Evangelism department will speak to an estimated 10,000 at the parade. By the grace of God, many people will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we are hopeful that healings, signs, and wonders will break out to accompany the preaching of the gospel.
One of the features of the parade for the last several years has been a float entered by the Forerunner Evangelism department of IHOP–KC. St. Patrick is the focal point of the float. Bearded and in a humble monk’s robe, St. Patrick will stand on a fifteen-foot, green mountain, grasping an eight-foot cross. From high above the parade, he will speak to the crowd, drawing their attention with his Irish brogue and folksy warm-heartedness before thundering out a thirty-second sermonette.
The crowd will be hushed in a moment, unprepared for the Word as Justin Perry, this year’s St. Patrick, preaches. Immediately following this appeal to repent and believe, the unsuspecting parade-goers will encounter the 600–700 musicians, singers, and dancers following the float. These worshipers will sing a Gaelic version of “Grace Like Rain,” a song by Todd Agnew. Like King David of old they will unashamedly sing, shout, dance, and twirl before the Lord in the streets of Kansas City. We pray that many will feel the presence of the Lord and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit as the atmosphere is filled with worship and praise to Jesus.
The final witness to Christ during the parade is a banner declaring, “Come, follow Jesus!” Please come and join us this St. Patrick’s Day, as together we boldly declare the goodness of God to this city!
If you would like to be involved, there will be a quick meeting at the Forerunner School of Ministry (FSM) at 7:00am on the day of the parade. Please be on time. This meeting is important for receiving maps, direction, and instructions. Shuttles will be available for transportation from FSM to our reserved parking at the parade site. We will return to FSM after the parade is over, around 2:00pm. For more information or if you have questions, feel free to email evangelism@ihop.org.
Come with Boldness, but Don’t Come Lightly
Last Friday evening I attended the IHOPU student awakening with my wife and daughter. As soon as we entered the building we felt the presence of the Lord, which is common when you attend the awakening service—yet also so uncommon. It is common in the sense that it happens regularly because the Lord is in our midst, which is a glorious reality. It is uncommon however, in that the Lord is in our midst! What I’m trying to say is that no matter how much the Lord meets us, His presence should always be respected and gratefully accepted. It is so easy to slip into a casual attitude once you get used to something, but we should never be casual in the presence of the Holy One.
This is exactly what Wes Hall shared from the platform on Friday night, and it’s something I’ve been meditating on ever since. When something is new it tends to be exciting; therefore, it receives more attention and energy, which makes it easier to be aware and sensitive to what’s happening. But, when something begins to last longer than our attention span allows for, we can tend to become desensitized and over familiar with it. This is so common that we might not even realize it’s happening. It’s true for work, relationships, church life, entertainment, sports, and every other thing that we do regularly; we get used to stuff. It just happens.
The truth is that it takes work to be sensitive to our surroundings, especially when our surroundings don’t change much. It takes discipline, spiritual and emotional, to stay engaged with the present moment. But when the Lord is moving in our midst, we must labor with diligence to stay engaged with the Holy Spirit. I realized this on Sunday during worship. I found myself singing songs while looking around at people and thinking about other things. I was completely disconnected from the meaning of those words and from the One to whom I was singing them. It dawned on me that I was wasting my time by not engaging wholeheartedly during worship, and I was actually being disrespectful to the One I was singing to. Doesn’t he deserve more than lip service?
In the Old Testament, the high priest had to be especially careful when entering the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, because the manifest presence of the Lord was there; the high priest risked death if he didn’t carefully follow the Lord’s commands about how to come into His presence (Lev. 16:2,13). I don’t want to treat the move of God lightly. Not only is He worthy of the highest praise, but deserving of my utmost sincerity and attention as well. Every time we come before the Lord, whether it’s a corporate or individual setting, we should remember to whom we are coming, and come accordingly.
Joseph Company News and Upcoming Events
The last three months have marked a shift across the globe for marketplace believers. In the natural, we are seeing the first signs of recovery from the recession, and people are beginning to hope again. In the spiritual realm, there is a resounding call for the Josephs to arise and store up food and wealth for the days to come (Gen. 41). We have recently been to Norway, Australia, Mexico, Egypt, and several places in the United States. We witnessed marketplace believers being touched by the Holy Spirit. Many of these gatherings have resulted in miracles, healings, and powerful, prophetic moments. Across the globe, believers are experiencing the same touch of the Lord as we are in Kansas City through the IHOPU student awakening. We hope you will join us either in Kansas City or at a gathering near you as the wind of the Spirit blows in 2010.
Blessings,
Bob Fraser
Director, Joseph Company
After years of requests, the Joseph Company has launched our Marketplace Apprenticeship at the International House of Prayer of Kansas City. This program seeks to raise up prophetic messengers in the marketplace who are filled with the Word of God, fervent in worship, fiery in intercession, and committed to outreach and service in the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you are 18–35 years of age and are either enrolled in a university or working in the marketplace, this apprenticeship is for you. This may be a way to fulfill your local university graduation requirement for an internship or apprenticeship. In addition, it’s an excellent way to get hands-on marketplace experience that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Not only will you receive leadership and life-skill training, but you will also connect with the prayer movement as you become a part of the IHOP–KC community for three months.
These are the Marketplace Apprenticeship dates for 2010:
April 11–June 13
August 12–October 10
October 17–December 12
Applications are due one month before the start date.
We hope to see you soon,
Kris Edler
Director of Operations, Joseph Company
Upcoming Events Invitation
Please Note
If you have already attended a JoCo event, you are welcome to attend the same event free in the future. To register, please email josephcompany@ihop.org.
From the Forerunner Bookstore: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World (Reviewed)
The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World is a compilation of messages given during a conference held in Minnesota in 2006. Read the cover carefully as it is not a book by John Piper (though he is one of the contributors) but rather a collection of messages by many contributors, compiled by John Piper and Justin Taylor as general editors. For avid John Piper fans, you will enjoy his chapter on joy and the supremacy of Christ, but that chapter is the only one written by him.
This book explores culture, truth, the gospel, the church, and ministry as it relates to engaging our contemporary world. Whether we like it or not, we are in a postmodern era. Growing religious and spiritual diversity constitutes one of the biggest cultural shifts America has ever seen. The aforementioned Minnesota conference, from which this book emerged, convened in order to answer some of the questions associated with this shift by grappling with current cultural context and values. Without abandoning adherence to the Word of God and traditional evangelical beliefs, these messages provide doctrinally sound and pastorally sensitive ways to engage a postmodern ethos.
This is such a relevant book for this generation, and I recommend it to anyone who is connected in any way to the emerging church movement. The church in America is looking for a better way to engage a diversified people, and this work is an excellent tribute to that search in its unwavering commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture and the supremacy of Christ. Our culture would seek to subjugate truth and minimize authority, but “there is nothing in the modern world that is a match for the power of God and nothing in modern culture which diminishes our understanding of the supremacy of Christ” (Piper and Taylor, eds., 25).
Fellowshipping With the Holy Spirit
One of the most important yet seemingly neglected practices in Christian living is the act of talking to the indwelling Spirit of God. Every believer has the Spirit of God living inside him or her, through the cross and shed blood of Jesus, but many don’t connect to this glorious reality.
In John 14–16, Jesus gives His most in-depth teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit and His presence in the life of the disciple. Jesus names the indwelling Spirit the Comforter, Teacher, Helper, and Advocate precisely because these names point to the Spirit’s character and function in the lives of Christians. What the law could not do in making men righteous, the Holy Spirit can do if we recognize and receive His grace.
I believe that one of the most necessary things for the end-time church to possess is clarity in this truth. Whatever we have need of as believers, we have through the indwelling Spirit, but we must take time to cultivate the relationship through which His activity and power is released. The principles of John 14–16 are imperative for us in this hour. We must know how to go forward in righteousness as the darkness of the world gets darker. In order to do so, we need understanding and light from these passages.
Mike Bickle has given a comprehensive teaching on the practice of fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit. If you would like to go deeper in this subject, you can download the teaching notes here.
Help Clothe the Homeless in Kansas City
“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” Titus 3:14
OVERVIEW
After a Kansas City homeless man froze to death recently in a winter storm, IHOP–KC’s Forerunner Justice Program took action to help meet the urgent need of distributing warm clothing to the poor in Kansas City. Since then, a Justice Storehouse has been established, which is student-led and student-run. It is modeled on the biblical storehouse where the Lord instructed the people of Israel to bring their firstfruits (tithes) in order to feed the poor in their midst as well as refugees who fled to Israel (Mal. 3:10).
The Justice Storehouse began during the IHOPU student awakening. As students and staff members experienced healing and deliverance from the Lord, our hearts were touched by the Lord with a renewed desire to meet the needs of the poor and homeless in our communities.
The Justice Storehouse will facilitate the collection of donated food, clothing, and basic necessities, which will be distributed by our IHOPU students during outreaches with our inner city ministry, Hope City, and works of compassion and justice in the community.
WHAT
• Clean, gently-used clothing, including winter items such as hats, gloves, warm socks, and coats.
• Non-perishable food (especially food that you would enjoy)
• Basic necessity items, i.e. toopaste, toothbrushes, washcloths, soap, etc.
WHERE
Please look for designated containers in the lobby, both at FSM and the Global Prayer Room. You can place all donated items in the containers at any time of the day or night.
“But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” 1 Jn. 3:17
From the Prayer Room
Yesterday during the 10:00am set, we were crying out for the church of Peoria, IL, because there are eighteen congregations in that city coming together to fast and pray for twenty-one days. The Lord whispered two things to me while we were praying. One was that the Church uniting together in the humility of prayer and fasting is the wisest thing she could do in this hour. When we humble ourselves before God, He lifts us up and causes His light to shine forth in power. Oh, that our cities would be full of churches united together in fasting and prayer for God to rend the heavens and come down! The other thing He said was that it is wisdom for the Church to be praying. During the set, we were aiming our prayers towards the believers in Peoria, IL. Nearly all of the prayers in the New Testament do the same; they focus on the Church. When believers are touched and filled with the Holy Spirit, the sick in that city are healed, the lost are saved, and the oppressed are set free. This is why we focus our prayers on believers being filled, encouraged, strengthened, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Be blessed.
IHOP-KC Staff Interview – Luke Wood
I recently sat down with Luke Wood, a senior worship leader at the House of Prayer and teacher of Songs of the Old 
Testament, a class for the Forerunner Music Academy, to talk about life as a worship leader.
Nathan: How long have you been leading worship now?
Luke: I’ve been leading worship since 2002, and I began leading at IHOP–KC in 2003.
Nathan: What have been the most challenging and rewarding parts of worship-leading for you through the years?
Luke: I would definitely say that the most challenging aspect of it is in consistently going deep in worship as a lifestyle as opposed to leading songs on a stage. It is impossible to lead people into worship if I am not going deep in God. There are so many temptations to just settle back and coast on the music or ability, but I have to constantly push through all that and reach for God. As far as what is rewarding, I would say that I haven’t seen that in fullness yet. I’m still hoping for the “Well done good and faithful servant” from the Lord after all this is over. In a small way, it has been rewarding to feel His pleasure while I’m leading. When it clicks and the band is flowing in the prophetic I feel the Lord touch my heart. It might only come once every few weeks, but when it does it is one of the highlights for sure.
Nathan: What have been some of the most inspiring passages of Scripture as you have read and sung through the Word?
Luke: Song of Solomon has been one of the most priceless books to me in my walk with the Lord. Without it, it would be impossible to stay steady and keep the faith It is beautiful to experience God in this book, and to learn that He likes me and enjoys me.
Nathan: How much has your style changed and evolved through the years? Is that something you consciously work on or do you kind of just let flow what flows? How important do you think style and creativity are to worship?
Luke: Well, when you first start writing and singing it generally tends to be more of a “me” focus and about what “I’m” dealing with. It goes from being me-centered to not analyzing the struggles so much, but looking beyond ourselves to the grandeur and majesty of God. As far as style goes, I think it is pretty important to be true to yourself as far as what you can do and what your style is naturally. If you strive too much to go beyond your means, creativity can shut down.
Nathan: Right, because God has made us all uniquely. Part of His creativity and character comes out through us in what we do artistically.
Luke: Yes, exactly.
Nathan: What are you studying r
ight now, and how is it fueling your prayer life?
Luke: I’m teaching a class called Songs of the Old Testament right now, and it’s really creating a healthy fear of the Lord in me.
Nathan: Really? How so?
Luke: It’s causing me to consider both the goodness and severity of God in how He leads His people.
Nathan: Is there a specific Old Testament song that you’ve been stuck on and have really enjoyed?
Luke: Yes, definitely Deuteronomy 32, the song of Moses. I feel like it’s uniquely holy ground. It reminds me of the passage in Job 36:26 that says, “Behold, God is great and we do not know Him.” That’s what I’ve been getting out of this song. I don’t know God like I think I do, and it makes me hungry for more.
Nathan: Who has been a source of inspiration to you among your comrades here and why?
Luke: That’s a hard one; there are so many of them.
Nathan: OK, narrow it down to two.
Luke: Marcus Meier, for sure. He is so humble in how he leads and relates to people. I would say Clay Edwards as well. He leads and serves on the NightWatch in secret. He has been so consistent in leading and shepherding his team.
Nathan: If you could give an aspiring worship leader one piece of advice, what would it be?
Luke: Fuel your prayer life by long hours of studying and praying the Word. It’s the only way to cultivate a prophetic spirit. Unless you give yourself to the Word it’s hard to maintain vision. Studying the Word makes you want to know God; it makes you hungry for the One who all the songs are about.
Nathan: Do you have any current projects you’re working on and, if so, when can we expect to see another CD from you?
Luke: I am writing a lot right now. It seems like all the songs that are coming are about Jesus as the Son of man and the Son of God. It seems silly to say, but you d be surprised at how many songs are not about this.
Nathan: Are you going to break new ground with your next CD or will it be like Sound of War?
Luke: I think I’m still breaking ground to figure out what sounds best. I’m anxious for a new sound from heaven. I think it will have elements of The Law and Prophets and Sound of War. We’ll see.
Nathan: Great, sounds good. Thanks, Luke.
From the Missions Base
onething’09
This past December IHOP–KC hosted its largest onething national conference to date. Over 20,000 people attended, some traveling from as far as China, Taiwan, Korea, Spain, Mexico, Israel, and all over South America. Throughout the conference it was evident that the Lord is even now doing a great work in the nations concerning the partnership between the missions movement and the prayer movement.
The Lord broke in with power and deliverance every day of onething. Thousands of testimonies poured in of God’s love and healing power. As the conference progressed, the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit grew, and angelic activity continued to increase in the midst of faith-filled, hungry hearts.
One of the many highlights was the special guest attendance of Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), considered by many to be the premier statesman of world missions. Loren changed his schedule in order to be with us during onething. He was directed by the Lord to come and release a father’s blessing over this generation and to share his insights and personal testimony from years of experience concerning the days we are living in. Everyone was encouraged as it became clear through this humble vessel of the Lord that, as we near the end of this present age, we are in one of the most significant developments in church history: the merging of the missions and prayer movements.
Covering Haiti with Prayer and Aid
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake hit the tiny island nation of Haiti near its capital city, Port-au-Prince. Assessments began to pour in that over 3 million people were immediately affected by the magnitude of this quake with an estimated 100,000 plus feared dead.
The heart and soul of our mission base, the prayer room, was immediately engaged in intercession for the people and events in Haiti as we committed to pray for Haiti during every one of our intercession sets. We have been praying around the clock for help, deliverance, aid, salvation, and healing for the Haitian people. Our Crisis Response International (CRI), headed up by Shawn Malone, felt impressed of the Lord to begin sending in ground teams to help bring aid and establish a base for bringing restoration to the many shattered lives there. As a relief organization, CRI will continue to train and send workers, many of whom are IHOP–KC staff members, along with clothes, food, water, tools, and monetary gifts to help ease the suffering and pain of the people in Haiti.
Randy and Kelsey Bohlender of The Zoe Foundation and Hannah’s Dream, an adoption agency of IHOP–KC, have been praying that God would open a door for the untold number of orphans to be able to enter the States for adoption. Where will these children go and what will become of them? We are laboring in prayer that God would send them here and that many would be saved from the aftermath of Haiti’s demolished infrastructure.
Forerunner Christian Fellowship
Recently, two of the most significant “now” words from the Lord during our Sunday Forerunner Christian Fellowship (FCF) services came from Stuart Greaves, director of the NightWatch, and Shelley Hundley.
Shelley gave a two-part teaching on the ministry of deliverance. Every believer has the authority and ability to minister deliverance to the oppressed but sometimes we may not know how to appropriately address the need. Shelley answered this question and many others by sharing her own testimony of deliverance and how she has helped lead others into freedom. Click here to download the notes from this series.
As the Lord continues to release His Spirit in our midst, it is increasingly imperative for all of us to be proficient in moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and administering them with diligence, honor, and integrity. Everyone can be an active participant in bringing healing and restoration. Shelley’s practical teaching is an excellent resource for ministering deliverance in the power of the Holy Spirit and bringing freedom to the Body of Christ.
Stuart’s message, The Dream of a King: The Glory of Ethnic Diversity, was such a timely call for the IHOP–KC community to grow in love and servanthood as people from every tribe and tongue begin to stream to Kansas City to be a part of the house of prayer.
In this message from Ephesians 2–3 Stuart highlighted the reality that, through the cross, those who were once enemies can begin to discover the heart of God unto loving one another in the midst of cultural and ethnic diversity. The gospel’s power to heal and reconcile racial divides is as strong now as it was in the apostle Paul’s day, and it is necessary for the worldwide body of Christ to walk in maturity as “one new man.” The fullest manifestation of God’s glory will be most powerfully demonstrated through the diversity of every tribe, people, tongue, and nation exalting Jesus as together we walk out love and forgiveness, no matter the extent of our differences.
IHOPU Student Awakening
On Wednesday, January 20 of this year, Allen Hood, president of International House of Prayer University, addressed the IHOP–KC family, speaking on God’s kind and gracious leadership in guiding us as a people. Allen called it “family time,” reminding us of our prophetic history and encouraging us to press in for more of the Lord’s presence.
Allen was overcome with gratitude as he publicly gave thanks to the Lord. God’s leadership over us has been so good and sure as we have labored through the years in 24/7 prayer with worship. To be invited into this work of God as He prepares the earth for the return of His Son has been such a privilege. We have stumbled and staggered along the way but God has faithfully guided us and helped us again and again to obey His call and follow His purposes. We should be undone by the love of God toward us.
Allen called us to keep our hunger for more of God in the center of all that we endeavor to do. How can we even think about going back to life as usual when the Spirit is breaking out in our midst? We have drunk of the superior pleasures of loving God and of being loved by Him. Allen ended his message by saying, “By all means, find a balance but don’t ever go back!” As we seek to faithfully live life as a house of prayer, it is so important to give ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are right in the center of a move of God’s power and glory and are so expectant to see more in the days to come.
IHOPU Gift Matching Opportunity
Dear Friends,
Envision a place where messengers of the gospel are trained in solid biblical truth, nurtured in the place of prayer, and sent forth believing and walking in the power of the gospel to transform lives and cultures. Imagine a biblical education free from the encumbrance of debt, affordable to young adults, with instructors who are mentors modeling a life of prayer and godly service.
Student Awakening
We believe International House of Prayer University (IHOPU) is such a place. For ten years, thousands of students have been trained and equipped as messengers in the areas of ministry, music, and media. As we enter 2010, we are thankful for the Lord’s goodness and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our midst. The student awakening at IHOPU, which began on November 11, 2009, has brought healing and renewal to our missions base and to thousands across America and the rest of the world.
Growth of IHOPU
As a result of this move of the Spirit, many prospective students are applying for admission to IHOPU. Our Bible school will certainly grow more rapidly than anticipated this year. We expect to receive as many as 300 new students (a growth of over 50 percent) into our ministry, music, and media schools. We have outgrown our present facility and are in need of larger classrooms, community facilities, and offices.
New IHOPU Campus
Miraculously, a new campus property that can accommodate this growth has been acquired through a generous donation. Grandview Plaza is debt-free and will soon become the new home of IHOPU. Our only remaining need is for renovation costs, and a donor has stepped forward who will match, dollar for dollar, all funds raised for renovations up to $1.5 million.
Matching Grant
We invite you to partner with us in these urgently needed renovations by sending a donation that will have double the impact! March 31 is the last day for gifts to this project to be part of the matching opportunity, so please respond quickly to see your gift multiply.
Our accelerated current and projected growth has created the need to speed up the renovation and development of the new IHOPU campus. In order to complete the facility in time for classes in August we need to begin construction immediately and move swiftly.
We ask you to prayerfully consider helping us at this time as we follow the Lord.
With passion for Jesus,
In Christ
Allen Hood, Daniel Lim Mike Bickle
President, IHOPU CEO, IHOP–KC Founder, IHOP–KC
